Prologue
A crescent moon glowed dimly against the cloudy night sky. Shadows from trees outside loomed in through the window, and the broken shutters squeaked loudly, slamming on their hinges as the wind brushed by.
I rolled onto my side, troubled and unable to sleep. Every few minutes, visions of creatures and ferocious monsters interrupted my thoughts, and all I could do was close my eyes tight while blood curling screams shot through my head. Tidal waves of blood and flesh tearing pranced hideously across my mind. My visions always made me feel sick.
But the one vision that frightened me the most was the silent silver air that crept and swept over the back of my neck, sending chills through my veins... An inexplicable surge of fear and insanity would sink into my stomach whenever it happened. It surrounded me and encased my body, trapping me, draining the warmth from my blood.
It was a vision of the Mist.
That night, I sat up, not sure of what I should do. I had been counting, and the nightmares had been haunting me for three days and three nights. I didn't tell anyone though, not even my beloved wife, Nene, lying beside me. I thought that if I kept my nightmares to myself, they would go away. I did not expect to be consumed by them.
I quietly got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, taking care not to bump into anything in the dark. The wood floor creaked loudly beneath my feet, and I cringed, but I kept going until I reached the cupboard. It was calling to me like a drug, an addiction, an intoxicating obsession, and I couldn't stop walking... Warily unlatching the door, I pushed back several boxes, looking for my jar... I closed my fingers over the cool blue glass, reading the red label that stated "Do Not Open."
I opened it.
The jar hissed, and the Mist came slithering out of the opening like a silver snake silently gliding in a circle around my head. I waved my hand to dismiss it, then glanced back at my wife in bed before bringing the jar up to my face.
"Reis. Reis, you alright in there?" I whispered.
I heard a slow hiss. "Ixis..." I watched as the dust around the jar rim drifted into the air. "Ixis... I am fine. Last week I was feeling quite faint. But now... I feel much stronger."
"That's good," I mumbled absently. My Seru seemed to read my mind. "You are disturbed... Tell me, my dear, what is wrong...?"
I sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "I've been having nightmares. Scary things I don't want to see."
"I see." Reis pondered for a moment. "I suppose do have one possible explanation for you, Ixis..."
"Tell me," I begged.
He hesitated and curiously gazed up at me through the jar opening. "Your nightmares... they coincide with my strength returning to me."
I raised an eyebrow. "And what are you going to do when your 'strength' returns?"
The Seru inside the jar laughed coldly. "I will do nothing. It is the Mist Seekers who will find me."
I sat in silence. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the way Reis talked. What on earth was a Mist Seeker? "I hope this is another nightmare," I muttered. "You make no sense."
"Oh, but it's not a nightmare, and I do make sense," Reis smirked. "I suggest you take me elsewhere... You do not wish to misuse my powers."
"Look, I'm feeling a bit, and you are too, aren't you, Reis?" I interrupted. I had wakened my Seru hoping for some answers, but suddenly I didn't feel like hearing any more from him.
"But... they are coming..." he protested. "Ixis... the Mist Seekers are coming for me..."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I snapped wearily, confused but too tired to try to understand what Reis was telling me. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to sleep."
"THEY'RE COMING!" he shrieked.
"Reis, shhh!" I hissed, looking back to see if he had disturbed my wife. Luckily she was still asleep, but I didn't want to take the risk. I reached over the table for the jar lid.
"What... what are you doing?" he asked, panicking.
"Putting you away." I held the lid over the blue jar. "I can't hear any more." After the Mist slithered back inside the jar, I closed it and latched the seal. Then I stood up, gathered the jar into my arms, and walked back to the cupboard.
"They are coming, and you can't deny it!" Reis cried, in a muffled voice from within the jar. I had nothing else to say to the Seru, so I quickly shoved the jar to the back of the shelf. "They'll come for me..." I ignored his voice and swiftly moved back towards my bed—damn wooden floor—then I climbed in next to Nene, pulling the covers over my shoulder. The words of Reis hovered around my mind: They're coming, they're coming... I didn't understand what he was saying, but then again, I didn't want to understand.
I'm probably just hallucinating, I chided myself. I shifted my head in my pillow and closed my eyes. Another monster. Another dying person. Yeah... I'm just hallucinating.
A crescent moon glowed dimly against the cloudy night sky. Shadows from trees outside loomed in through the window, and the broken shutters squeaked loudly, slamming on their hinges as the wind brushed by.
I rolled onto my side, troubled and unable to sleep. Every few minutes, visions of creatures and ferocious monsters interrupted my thoughts, and all I could do was close my eyes tight while blood curling screams shot through my head. Tidal waves of blood and flesh tearing pranced hideously across my mind. My visions always made me feel sick.
But the one vision that frightened me the most was the silent silver air that crept and swept over the back of my neck, sending chills through my veins... An inexplicable surge of fear and insanity would sink into my stomach whenever it happened. It surrounded me and encased my body, trapping me, draining the warmth from my blood.
It was a vision of the Mist.
That night, I sat up, not sure of what I should do. I had been counting, and the nightmares had been haunting me for three days and three nights. I didn't tell anyone though, not even my beloved wife, Nene, lying beside me. I thought that if I kept my nightmares to myself, they would go away. I did not expect to be consumed by them.
I quietly got out of bed and headed for the kitchen, taking care not to bump into anything in the dark. The wood floor creaked loudly beneath my feet, and I cringed, but I kept going until I reached the cupboard. It was calling to me like a drug, an addiction, an intoxicating obsession, and I couldn't stop walking... Warily unlatching the door, I pushed back several boxes, looking for my jar... I closed my fingers over the cool blue glass, reading the red label that stated "Do Not Open."
I opened it.
The jar hissed, and the Mist came slithering out of the opening like a silver snake silently gliding in a circle around my head. I waved my hand to dismiss it, then glanced back at my wife in bed before bringing the jar up to my face.
"Reis. Reis, you alright in there?" I whispered.
I heard a slow hiss. "Ixis..." I watched as the dust around the jar rim drifted into the air. "Ixis... I am fine. Last week I was feeling quite faint. But now... I feel much stronger."
"That's good," I mumbled absently. My Seru seemed to read my mind. "You are disturbed... Tell me, my dear, what is wrong...?"
I sighed and sat down on a nearby chair. "I've been having nightmares. Scary things I don't want to see."
"I see." Reis pondered for a moment. "I suppose do have one possible explanation for you, Ixis..."
"Tell me," I begged.
He hesitated and curiously gazed up at me through the jar opening. "Your nightmares... they coincide with my strength returning to me."
I raised an eyebrow. "And what are you going to do when your 'strength' returns?"
The Seru inside the jar laughed coldly. "I will do nothing. It is the Mist Seekers who will find me."
I sat in silence. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable with the way Reis talked. What on earth was a Mist Seeker? "I hope this is another nightmare," I muttered. "You make no sense."
"Oh, but it's not a nightmare, and I do make sense," Reis smirked. "I suggest you take me elsewhere... You do not wish to misuse my powers."
"Look, I'm feeling a bit, and you are too, aren't you, Reis?" I interrupted. I had wakened my Seru hoping for some answers, but suddenly I didn't feel like hearing any more from him.
"But... they are coming..." he protested. "Ixis... the Mist Seekers are coming for me..."
"I don't know what you're talking about," I snapped wearily, confused but too tired to try to understand what Reis was telling me. "And if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to sleep."
"THEY'RE COMING!" he shrieked.
"Reis, shhh!" I hissed, looking back to see if he had disturbed my wife. Luckily she was still asleep, but I didn't want to take the risk. I reached over the table for the jar lid.
"What... what are you doing?" he asked, panicking.
"Putting you away." I held the lid over the blue jar. "I can't hear any more." After the Mist slithered back inside the jar, I closed it and latched the seal. Then I stood up, gathered the jar into my arms, and walked back to the cupboard.
"They are coming, and you can't deny it!" Reis cried, in a muffled voice from within the jar. I had nothing else to say to the Seru, so I quickly shoved the jar to the back of the shelf. "They'll come for me..." I ignored his voice and swiftly moved back towards my bed—damn wooden floor—then I climbed in next to Nene, pulling the covers over my shoulder. The words of Reis hovered around my mind: They're coming, they're coming... I didn't understand what he was saying, but then again, I didn't want to understand.
I'm probably just hallucinating, I chided myself. I shifted my head in my pillow and closed my eyes. Another monster. Another dying person. Yeah... I'm just hallucinating.
